natmo2431

Have any of you been measuring inches rather then watching the scale? I have been at about the same weight for 3 weeks now and am almost 2 months out (3 week stall apparently according to my doctor). I measured my thighs, calfs, arms, waist, hips and neck and between 9/13/13-9/30/13 I had lost 11.5 inches overall. I just would have wished I measured myself before surgery. One pant size and two shirt sizes in a month and a half was a good achievement even though the scale wasn't moving. Just continue doing what you're suppose too and the scale will start moving again. I am going to start tracking my calories and Protein using the app LoseIt! just to start keeping myself honest and hopefully I will see the scale move again.

Have any of you been measuring inches rather then watching the scale? I have been at about the same weight for 3 weeks now and am almost 2 months out (3 week stall apparently according to my doctor). I measured my thighs, calfs, arms, waist, hips and neck and between 9/13/13-9/30/13 I had lost 11.5 inches overall. I just would have wished I measured myself before surgery. One pant size and two shirt sizes in a month and a half was a good achievement even though the scale wasn't moving. Just continue doing what you're suppose too and the scale will start moving again. I am going to start tracking my calories and Protein using the app LoseIt! just to start keeping myself honest and hopefully I will see the scale move again.

I know I have written about this topic before, but for some reason I can not find the thread. So I wanted to rewrite my own personal goals and hopefully a few of you will share with me also! I am not putting this in any particular order because I have reached some of my milestones and can't actually remember what other ones I had before. But I would like to be able to go back and see how far I have come!
Lose 10 pounds
Walk 3 miles
Lose 20 pounds
Lose 30 pounds
Wear size 18 jeans
Run a mile in 10 minutes
Reach lowest weight in 5 years (227)
Lose 50 pounds (SOOO CLOSE)
Run two miles
Wear size 16 jeans
Run 3 miles
Become a Zumba Instructor
Run a 5K (planned for next spring!)
Shop in a store I could not fit into before
Reach Onederland! Hopefully before my next appointment in January!
Wear size 14 jeans
Lose 75 pounds
Lose 100 pounds
Wear jeans in the single digits
Lose 115 pounds
Goal!
I will come back as I think of more goals. Right now I am happy but I am not. I am happy that I have reached a weight I haven't been in more then 8 years, but I am not as happy that it is not coming off as quick as I had hoped. But it just means I need to start getting myself in check, eat right and work harder. No more excuses that its the holiday season and everyone slacks off haha

I know I have written about this topic before, but for some reason I can not find the thread. So I wanted to rewrite my own personal goals and hopefully a few of you will share with me also! I am not putting this in any particular order because I have reached some of my milestones and can't actually remember what other ones I had before. But I would like to be able to go back and see how far I have come!
Lose 10 pounds
Walk 3 miles
Lose 20 pounds
Lose 30 pounds
Wear size 18 jeans
Run a mile in 10 minutes
Reach lowest weight in 5 years (227)
Lose 50 pounds (SOOO CLOSE)
Run two miles
Wear size 16 jeans
Run 3 miles
Become a Zumba Instructor
Run a 5K (planned for next spring!)
Shop in a store I could not fit into before
Reach Onederland! Hopefully before my next appointment in January!
Wear size 14 jeans
Lose 75 pounds
Lose 100 pounds
Wear jeans in the single digits
Lose 115 pounds
Goal!
I will come back as I think of more goals. Right now I am happy but I am not. I am happy that I have reached a weight I haven't been in more then 8 years, but I am not as happy that it is not coming off as quick as I had hoped. But it just means I need to start getting myself in check, eat right and work harder. No more excuses that its the holiday season and everyone slacks off haha

Congrats!!

Honestly, I am still surprised at how smoothly everything went for me. Here are a couple things that I have had to go online to look up because I was worried or didn't know why it was happening, etc:
1. Going to the bathroom. Yes this is my number one thing I worried about for a week or two! My grandmother actually died from her intestines rupturing so I was worried that there was a blockage, or that something like that could happen to me... not because I was on a liquid diet for two weeks prior and didn't have anything to produce any amount of waste to dispose of... but I still went online to make sure it was normal.
2. Hitting a stall 3 to 6 weeks out. I was dropping weight, feeling great, even noticing my clothes falling off me, then the scale wouldn't move for two weeks. I was extremely discouraged. But finally I stepped up my exercising, went from walking to jogging, and then even going to the gym. Eventually I came over that little stall.
3. Hunger will completely go away. Its kind of a weird feeling. Some times I feel like I am very hungry and start craving the strangest things. But before it would be to indulge that craving, now when I think about it, my stomach isn't growling, I can easily think of something else, and I can even replace that feeling with a healthy variation. If I wanted something salty, I eat a little Peanut Butter. If I want something hardy, I make sure to eat some chicken salad with maybe a little curry on top. Don't get me wrong, I've had that feeling twice in almost two months, and it probably was stress related. But the idea that the surgery takes away all hunger isn't completely true I feel. You just have to teach yourself the difference between do you really need food, or are you just thirsty? or are you just wanting it because you can't have it?
4. You'll forget to eat. But don't forget to eat! That's pretty self explanatory, we're already not eating much, so our body needs every bit of fuel we can get. I struggle daily to get my Breakfast in, so my schedule starts kind of late. Something I will talk to my doctor with on Thursday.
5. Drink your Water and your Protein shakes! Water aids with weight loss, and makes you feel so much better. I battled with dehydration and when I over came it I felt more apt to want to go and do thing. Protein shakes I am still testing out. Some of them fill me after two sips, so I have been switching around to find the best option for myself. My sister had the surgery and had no problem with shakes. So it's different for everyone. The moment I started drinking the right about of water and Protein Shakes, I over came my stall though, so it is very important.
Those are just five things that I have dealt with in my month and a half since my surgery (August 8). I have to say, one of my biggest things that I tell anyone that asks me how I feel is I feel absolutely amazing considering I had the majority of a major organ removed from my body. Usually they kind of look at me like I'm delusional but its the truth. The day after I got home from the hospital I walked two miles! I needed a nap afterwards, but I was just amazed that I felt well enough to accomplish that (took me an hour but who cares!). So it really is a case by case situation. You could have complications, or you could have it as easy as I did. Most days I wake up and have to remind myself that I had it done. Even just last Friday at the gym, after running on the elliptical for a half hour (never did that before) I went to the water fountain to drink some water and had to stop myself because I took two big gulps. I feel like its easy to forget when you start feeling so well that you still need to keep up with everything.
Good luck with everything! It isn't easy by any means, because it is life changing, but with the right mindset you can achieve anything you want to!

Great motivation! Thank you!

Honestly, I am still surprised at how smoothly everything went for me. Here are a couple things that I have had to go online to look up because I was worried or didn't know why it was happening, etc:
1. Going to the bathroom. Yes this is my number one thing I worried about for a week or two! My grandmother actually died from her intestines rupturing so I was worried that there was a blockage, or that something like that could happen to me... not because I was on a liquid diet for two weeks prior and didn't have anything to produce any amount of waste to dispose of... but I still went online to make sure it was normal.
2. Hitting a stall 3 to 6 weeks out. I was dropping weight, feeling great, even noticing my clothes falling off me, then the scale wouldn't move for two weeks. I was extremely discouraged. But finally I stepped up my exercising, went from walking to jogging, and then even going to the gym. Eventually I came over that little stall.
3. Hunger will completely go away. Its kind of a weird feeling. Some times I feel like I am very hungry and start craving the strangest things. But before it would be to indulge that craving, now when I think about it, my stomach isn't growling, I can easily think of something else, and I can even replace that feeling with a healthy variation. If I wanted something salty, I eat a little Peanut Butter. If I want something hardy, I make sure to eat some chicken salad with maybe a little curry on top. Don't get me wrong, I've had that feeling twice in almost two months, and it probably was stress related. But the idea that the surgery takes away all hunger isn't completely true I feel. You just have to teach yourself the difference between do you really need food, or are you just thirsty? or are you just wanting it because you can't have it?
4. You'll forget to eat. But don't forget to eat! That's pretty self explanatory, we're already not eating much, so our body needs every bit of fuel we can get. I struggle daily to get my Breakfast in, so my schedule starts kind of late. Something I will talk to my doctor with on Thursday.
5. Drink your Water and your Protein shakes! Water aids with weight loss, and makes you feel so much better. I battled with dehydration and when I over came it I felt more apt to want to go and do thing. Protein shakes I am still testing out. Some of them fill me after two sips, so I have been switching around to find the best option for myself. My sister had the surgery and had no problem with shakes. So it's different for everyone. The moment I started drinking the right about of water and Protein Shakes, I over came my stall though, so it is very important.
Those are just five things that I have dealt with in my month and a half since my surgery (August 8). I have to say, one of my biggest things that I tell anyone that asks me how I feel is I feel absolutely amazing considering I had the majority of a major organ removed from my body. Usually they kind of look at me like I'm delusional but its the truth. The day after I got home from the hospital I walked two miles! I needed a nap afterwards, but I was just amazed that I felt well enough to accomplish that (took me an hour but who cares!). So it really is a case by case situation. You could have complications, or you could have it as easy as I did. Most days I wake up and have to remind myself that I had it done. Even just last Friday at the gym, after running on the elliptical for a half hour (never did that before) I went to the water fountain to drink some water and had to stop myself because I took two big gulps. I feel like its easy to forget when you start feeling so well that you still need to keep up with everything.
Good luck with everything! It isn't easy by any means, because it is life changing, but with the right mindset you can achieve anything you want to!

I had strange cravings for me personally. Spicy food though I'm allergic to peppers (assuming all kinds because I have had reactions to bell peppers, jalapenos and hot sauces). The next craving was alcohol, especially wine. I didn't drink much before hand, and wine was the last choice on my list if I did. And lastly a burger. I was never one to eat red meat but for some reason I just wanted to go to Ruby Tuesday and eat one of their new burgers they had on the commercials.
Then I realized all of my food cravings were related to commercials (Burger King with new boneless wings, wine tastings in the Finger Lakes, and Ruby Tuesday pretzel burgers). I'm not one to watch much TV but I couldn't believe how much it was influencing my thinking/cravings. I am much better now, but those first few weeks were tough. I just don't understand why those certain foods, especially when we all know there are a million other food commercials out there. It wasn't something that I craved or desired before hand so why was it after surgery.

I had a few negative comments and still get them from time to time. But I am very open about my surgery. There are 2 people at my work getting it done now.
I fine the people who are the most negative are the people that are over weight.
Your life, your decisions!